"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
10/09/2019 at 15:17 • Filed to: None
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"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
10/09/2019 at 15:17 • Filed to: None | 0
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In a bid to bite the hand that feeds it, San Francisco is proposing a toll of up to $10 to drive down Lombard Street (the twisty one).
You're welcome tourists, but quit trying to freeload. Next up, use-tax on the sea breeze, turnstiles on the parks, and licensing to gaze upon Golden Gate Bridge.
dogisbadob
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 15:28 |
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Gives a new meaning to “crooked
street” :p
Ash78, voting early and often
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 15:31 |
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For $5-$10, I suspect
most people will
just skip it. The smarter thing to do, with 2,700 cars a day, is just charge $1. The volume of traffic won’t change much, but the money will just roll in.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 15:33 |
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*spends $ 2.2m to make a toll road when all they need is a gate and an ATM machine? WFT.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 15:45 |
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Thats an excellent thing. Maybe walking on that road will be a bit less dangerous if it deters so many cars from taking it. And if not, at least its some money for the city. Hopefully said money doesnt just get eaten by the toll collection costs and can actually fund something useful like better public transit or park maintenance. I skipped driving down Lombard street last time I was in SF just because of the traffic line to get to it. Its like a manual driving torture test to be stuck in traffic in that town. The hill to get up to that road is probably one of the worst for that.
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dogisbadob
> Ash78, voting early and often
10/09/2019 at 16:04 |
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It depends on how many people are turned off by the fee, what price they’d be willing or uniwlling to pay.
2700 cars at $1 makes $2700
1000* cars at $5 makes $5000
100* cars at $10 makes $1000
*numbers totally made up, but you get the idea
CompactLuxuryFan
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 16:09 |
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It’s a sound idea because that particular attraction is way oversubscribed at the moment. A small toll will make it a better experience for everyone.
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Ash78, voting early and often
> dogisbadob
10/09/2019 at 16:14 |
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San Francisco: The Elastic City (of Demand)
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 16:22 |
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$2.2 meeellion dollars... Unreal.
Nothing better they could spend that money on... Nope...
If it’s a problem, just close the road, and make it a private drive only accessible to residents...
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CompactLuxuryFan
> dogisbadob
10/09/2019 at 17:40 |
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Exactly. $5 per person would still make it the cheapest attraction in town. Golden Gate Bridge toll is $7.75 (in a rental). Alcatraz is $40 a pop (plus parking, I guess) . If you’re already renting a car, it’s still a no brainer. Right now it’s a nightmare to actually drive down Lombard, and deciding to do it is at a big time and effort cost . Now it may be less so.
Since it’s actually a reservation system and not a toll you just show up for, I’m thinking it’s more a way to spread out traffic, and the fee is pretty much nominal.
facw
> Ash78, voting early and often
10/09/2019 at 18:07 |
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I don’t think it will make much dent. That’s cheap for SF. Regardless, I’m sure it will be quite easy for them to change the toll to maximize revenue if they want.
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Ash78, voting early and often
> facw
10/09/2019 at 18:15 |
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Lombard Surge Pricing™
Yeah, that’s cheap by SF standards. But personally, I’d rather walk than drive that road. I did it once and it was a little underwhelming, IMO.
They should institute a tax on anyone singing the Full House theme song, while they’re at it. That’s pure profit.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> CompactLuxuryFan
10/09/2019 at 18:28 |
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It lasts like... 3 minutes. That’s a shocking cost per hour (100/hr) . Alcatraz is a half day trip at minimum so 1/10th of the cost at least .
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/09/2019 at 18:31 |
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The sides of the road are separated sidewalk already. I skip it because its a stupid tourist trap. It’s way more interesting to drive past the Full House house / painted ladies.
I have done it my Miata and yeah, it’s brutal on that hill. Kind of a right of passage.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 18:41 |
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You say this like sidewalks prevent people from getting run over lol. Or that it prevents tourists from just walking in the road anyways. But yeah I only went once to say I saw it and I was a tourist anyways. Its been a bit since I’ve been back to SF and I doubt thats something I would be itching to go see again when I go back.
I was driving a ‘10 mini cooper S with bald tires. I dont think the clutch was in very good shape either. I did a lot of burnouts on those hills because of those problems. Attempting that hill was a definitely no. Fun car for that city in general though!
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CompactLuxuryFan
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 18:53 |
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Yeah but queuing up currently takes a couple hours. So if that goes down to ~10 mins, I don’t think anyone’s gonna complain about $5. Practically anybody who’s already investing all that headache to drive the 3 mins would also pay $5 on top ( barely buys a taco these days?) , leading to just the same congestion, which is why I think it’s the reservation system doing the real work.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/09/2019 at 19:32 |
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Look, anywhere else, you’d have a point. But Lombard street has concrete walls in most spots along the sidewalks/stairs.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> CompactLuxuryFan
10/09/2019 at 19:33 |
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... people wait hours to drive down it? I’ve done it maybe 4 times since I moved here 6 years ago and never waited more than 15 minutes.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 19:44 |
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Haha that looks like a nightmare to be stuck in traffic though. Why do so many people want to drive down it? I recall the road being bumper to bumper the entire way when I walked up the path. I guess tourist gonna tourist. But yeah at least pedestrians would have a hard time getting run over I guess.
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CompactLuxuryFan
> Nick Has an Exocet
10/09/2019 at 20:07 |
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I don’t spend any time around there so I can’t say how bad it is on a “normal” day, but on a sunny weekend it’s definitely hours.
From this article : “It’s not just the neighbors but the tourists who show up to something beautiful and iconic in San Francisco and have to wait for hours and hours.”
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/09/2019 at 21:21 |
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It’s just a tourist thing to do.